S. struggles with the climb as a result of his old age, and he notices that Sola “seems to be having little difficulty.” He notices that although she has aged, she has done so more slowly than him. Despite his struggles, he continues to climb “not out of bravery or indomitability but because his only option is to fall…” Eventually they make it out of the well, “and spill themselves in the daylight behind one of the worker’s barracks.”

Could S.’s seemingly “faster-aging” be a result of his extended time on the ship, or does his infatuation with Sola skew his perspective of her? Also, the fact that S.’s incentive to climb was because the only other option was to fall suggests that he really doesn’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing. Before he truly believed that by working for the resistance against Vévoda he was he was fighting evil and therefore fulfilling some noble cause, but he has come to realize that his purpose is no better or meaningful than any other. However, fulfilling his duty is all he knows and, naturally, it’s what he does. There is no intrinsic motivation anymore–he only does it because not doing it means the end of his existence.

The only margin note on this page is made by Eric, although it is unclear whether or not it was a first or last round note. Considering that it references a footnote, however, there is a good chance that this was a first round note. He simply validates an FXC footnote, suggesting that it may not hold some sort of code.